Corinthian helmet found with the soldier's skull still inside from the Battle of Marathon which took place in 490 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece. 2,500 years ago, on the morning of September 12th, 10,000 Greek soldiers gathered on the plains of Marathon to fight the invading Persian army. The Greek soldiers were composed mostly of citizens from Athens as well as some reinforcements from Plataea. The Persian army had 25,000 infantrymen and 1,000 cavalry. According to legend, a long-distance messenger by the name of Phidippides was sent to Athens shortly after the battle to relay the news of victory. It has been said that he ran the entire distance from Marathon to Athens, a distance of approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi), without stopping and burst into the assembly to declare, "We have won!" before collapsing and dying. This story differs quite a bit from Herodotus' account, which mentions Phidippides as the messenger who ran from Athens to Sparta and then back, covering a total distance of 240 km (150 mi) each way.